Thursday 15 June at 19:30 GMT:
Public interest in winter sports is high as people go skiing year after year and many are joined by first-timers.
But many Black and Indigenous people of color who are interested in skiing, snowboarding and other winter activities say they are often discouraged from participating — and in some cases, at venues that are overwhelmingly popular with tourists. Will be affected by racism and unconscious bias white.
In 2021, The Stream examines the challenges of making winter sports more accessible and welcoming to people of color and finds that sports organizations and resorts still have more work to do when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. Only 1.5 percent of downsports participants identify as black or African-American, according to survey data released by the National Ski Resort Association in October.
While some NGOs provide pathways for young people of color to get involved in winter sports and eventually compete, the lack of racial diversity among coaches remains a barrier to progress. EDGE Outdoors is an organization that aims to expand opportunities for Black and Indigenous women of color to teach the next generation of winter sports stars.
On this episode of The Stream, we join a panel advocating for racial diversity in winter sports and hear about the progress that’s being made.
In this episode of The Stream, we join:
Annette Diggs, @edge_pnw
Founder and CEO, EDGE Outdoors
edgeoutdoors.org
Adrienne Saya Isaac, @NSAA_org
Director of Marketing and Communications, National Ski Area Association (NSAA)
nsaa.org
Selema Masekela, @selema
Extreme sports commentator and Burton Snowboards board member
salmasekela.com
